Feudal Japan

Feudal Japan

Lesson 132

Objective

I can identify the castes of Feudal Japan

What is a Caste?

A Caste is a closed social system. In America we have an open social system which allow us to make money and become upper class, or not have money and become lower class.

A Caste means you are born and stay the same social status as your family. If your parents are merchants, you will be a merchant, if your parents are Samurai you will be a Samurai too. Yes even women were Samurai

Multiple Choice

Feudal Japan had a Caste System

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

In Feudal Japan if you were born a Samurai you had to be a Samurai

• True

• False

5 Main Castes

• Emperor

• Shogun

• Daimyo

• Samurai

• Peasants, Artisans, and Merchants

Poll

Who do you think had the most power?

• Emperor

• Shogun

• Daimyo

• Samurai

• Farmers, Artisans, and Merchants

Emperor

In feudal Japan, the emperor was considered the highest social standing. Despite this, the emperor had little power. Those at the top of the military class including the shogun and daimyo who were seen as true rulers of Japan during this era.

Emperor

• Top of society

• Not the most powerful

• Thought to be direct descendants of the Shinto sun goddess Amaterasu

• Oldest Monarchy in the world (660BC)

• 2600 years of sons being born to sons from the first emperor Jimmu

• Current emperor is Naruhito (succession in 2019), he is the 126th emperor.

Multiple Choice

Which is FALSE about emperors of Japan

• The oldest monarch in the world

• Japan no longer has an emperor

• The Emperor has less power than the Shogun and Daimyo

• They were thought to be descendent of a Shinto Goddess

Shogun

Most powerful! The shogun had the power to appoint and remove members from the government, make laws, and negotiate treaties and agreements with foreign governments. The shogun had power over the daimyo who owned the lands.

_{Tokugawa shogunate}

Daimyo

The daimyo were landlords and owned the land that everyone lived on. They were in charge of their lands and hired Samurai and Ronin to protect it. Land was ranked by the amount of rice they produced. Rice = Wealth (Money, $)

Daimyo

Very powerful figure who served the shogun. His job was to control a large area of land. He was also in charge of their samurai.

Shogun Vs Daimyo

• Shogun made the laws

• Shogun were above the Daimyo

• The Daimyo controlled the land

• The Daimyo hired and controlled the Samurai

Multiple Choice

Who made the laws?

• Shogun

• Daimyo

• Emperor

Multiple Choice

Who hired the Samurai?

• Shogun

• Daimyo

Multiple Choice

Who controlled the land?

• Shogun

• Daimyo

Samurai

• Served under Daimyo

• Were paid in land and food

• Honored a strict code called Bushido

• Women born in the Samurai Caste were Samurai too, household duties came first but they fought and trained like Samurai

• Ronin were hired Samurai who had no loyalty, they were not trusted

Seppuku

The Bushido code was so strict that if you dishonored the code the only way you could redeem yourself was to kill yourself in a ritualistic way to regain your honor. Samurai carried 2 swords, one of those swords was solely for this act.

Multiple Choice

What is the sacred code Samurai follow?

• The Force

• Shinto

• Bushido

• Seppuku

Multiple Choice

Samurai's jobs included...

• Owning land

• Fighting, Patrolling, Teaching, and Painting

• Farming and Selling Goods

• Telling the Daimyo what to do

Peasant

The main job of a peasant was being a farmer. They often had side jobs of making silk, paper and pottery. Japanese peasants got paid in rice, and land. They paid taxes in rice and food every month, to the upper class and the lord, also, they paid taxes to the daimyo, samurai and the lord when he called.

Artisans

Artisans were the skilled workers and makers of handicraft goods during the Edo period. They were labeled a separate class, beneath the samurai and farmers, but above the merchants. The ruling samurai class was an urban class which relied more on the produce of artisans than on the food produced by the peasant farmers.

Merchants

Merchants. The bottom rung of feudal Japanese society was occupied by merchants, which included both traveling traders and shopkeepers. Merchants were often ostracized as "parasites" who profited from the labor of the more productive peasant and artisan classes.

Multiple Choice

This group was the lowest of this caste

• Peasants

• Artisans

• Merchants

Poll

Which of the Castes do you think had it the easiest?

• Emperor

• Shogun

• Daimyo

• Samurai

• Peasants, Artisans, and Merchants

Poll

Which Caste do you think had the hardest life?

• Emperor

• Shogun

• Daimyo

• Samurai

• Peasants, Artisans, and Merchants

Open Ended

Exit Ticket! Which Caste would you have liked to been born in and why?